2-(3-Cyano-4-methyl-5,5-diphenyl-5H-furan-2-ylidene)malononitrile

The title compound, C21H13N3O, crystallizes with two independent molecules with similar conformations per asymmetric unit. The dihydrofuran rings are essentially planar with maximum deviations of 0.017 (1) and 0.006 (1) angstrom for the O atoms. The dihedral angles between the dihydrofuran ring and the attached phenyl rings are 79.90 (6) and 82.07 (6)degrees in one molecule and 79.36 (6) and 72.26 (6)degrees in the other. In the crystal, the molecules are linked by weak C-H center dot center dot center dot pi and C-H center dot center dot center dot N interactions similar to those in other closely related crystals. The replacement of appended methyl by phenyl groups has not significantly affected the dihydrofuran ring structure or the crystal packing interactions.